1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to windshield wiper blades and, more specifically to windshield wiper blades having lightweight, non-metallic reinforcement members which allow the wiping element to flex toward and away from the surface being wiped but which resists lateral flexing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional windshield wiper blade assemblies commonly employed in the related art include some type of superstructure mounted to an arm which, in turn, is mounted adjacent the windshield and pivotally driven to impart reciprocating motion of the wiper blade across the windshield. A rubber wiping element is supported by the superstructure and contacts the windshield across the surface to be wiped. The wiper element often incorporates one or more metal (typically stainless steel) strips which act to reinforce the wiper element and facilitate wiping contact by the element across what is typically a curved glass surface. Thus, the reinforced wiping elements of the related art are usually designed to be uniformly flexible throughout their length in a direction toward and away from the windshield so that the pressure exerted from the arm through the superstructure to the wiping element will effect efficient cleaning of the windshield. In addition, these reinforced wiping elements are substantially rigid in the lateral direction as they are driven back and forth across the glass.
While reinforced wiping blades have performed admirably in the past, there remains a constant pressure to improve products, especially in the automotive related art. For example, the weight of each component is continually scrutinized and reviewed with a view toward effective reductions therein. The effort to reduce component and ultimately vehicle weight has a very high priority among automotive designers and component manufacturers such that even small reductions in component weight are encouraged wherever they may be safely found. This is also true of windshield wiper systems. The blade assembly is typically located on the end of the wiper arm and represents a significant portion of the inertia generated by the wiping system when in operation. Thus, any reduction in the blade mass will produce a concomitant reduction in the internal system loads and thereby improve the reliability of the wiper system as a whole.
Windshield wiper systems involve dynamic automotive components which are not only observed during operation but often heard. Reducing the noise generated by such assemblies during operation is a primary objective of windshield wiper system manufacturers and their OEM customers. The solution to these concerns must also be managed and balanced with the requirement that the windshield wiper blade assembly quickly shed water. Metal reinforcement strips employed in the related art often complicate these efforts, especially in cold weather where rain and snow have tendency to freeze up and form on the wiper element due, in part, to the metallic reinforcing strips.
Thus, there continues to be a need in the art for improvements in the windshield wiper systems which result in reduced weight of the wiper components, reduced noise during operation and improved hydrophobic qualities of the device.